Title

Author

Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Department

Mechanical, Industrial and Systems Engineering

First Advisor

Yi Zheng

Abstract

The ability to replace metals, ceramics, and composites with polymer nanofibers can lead to more desirable applications in heat exchangers, energy storage, and biomedical fields. Research into thermal transport within polymer nanofibers has increased for such applications, with the need to develop new techniques to measure and understand such properties.

Polymers with high thermal conductivity have been a growing asset in desired heat transfer devices. Much effort has gone into developing advanced thermal conductivity measurement techniques; however, there is still a lack of fundamental understanding between the relationship of structures and thermal transport properties in polymer nanofibers.

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the further understanding of the thermal effects and conductivity capabilities of polymer nanofibers, and to supply a novel method of measurement to the research community.